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Item: Combined Temperature - Precipitation Winter Modes and Major Avalanche Activity in the Eastern Pyrenees

• • Title: Combined Temperature - Precipitation Winter Modes and Major Avalanche Activity in the Eastern Pyrenees

    Proceedings: International Snow Science Workshop Grenoble – Chamonix Mont-Blanc - October 07-11, 2013

    Authors:

    • Carles García-Sellés  [ Geological Institute of Catalonia, Barcelona, Spain ]
    • Santi Manguán  [ Geological Institute of Catalonia, Barcelona, Spain ]
    • Glòria Martí  [ Geological Institute of Catalonia, Barcelona, Spain ]
    • Pere Oller  [ Geological Institute of Catalonia, Barcelona, Spain ]
    • Pere Martínez  [ Geological Institute of Catalonia, Barcelona, Spain ]

    Date: 2013-10-07

    Abstract: This study investigated the influence of the precipitation and temperature variability during the days before of the occurrence of major avalanche activity in the Eastern Pyrenees. To establish the character of the combined precipitation and temperature, we used four modes (cold/dry, cold/wet, warm/dry and warm/wet) by means of a joint quantile approach. The cold/dry mode showed the highest frequency during the days before the major avalanche episodes in the Mediterranean area, while in the Oceanic area precipitation modes are more linked to major avalanche activity. Thus, winter modes could be a proxy to know snow cover sensitivity to major avalanches in case of lack of stability test on the field. Afterwards, the evolution of the four combined precipitation and temperature categories during the last decades was compared to the observed one into the Swiss Alps.

    Object ID: ISSW13_paper_P4-51.pdf

    Language of Article: English

    Presenter(s): Unknown

    Keywords: avalanche, climate, pyrenees, winter modes

    Page Number(s): 1264-1269

    Subjects: avalanche activity eastern pyrenees avalanche forecasting

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